Thirty-five percent of Americans are planning to travel this Thanksgiving, up from 34 percent who did so last year, reveals the Thanksgiving Travel Survey by TripAdvisor.
In a survey of more than 1,500 U.S. respondents, 38 percent of those traveling for Thanksgiving plan to fly to their destination, while 58 percent intend to drive.
"More than a third of Americans are traveling for Thanksgiving, and for some the journey is as much a part of the tradition as the turkey," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor.
Nov. 22 will be the peak Thanksgiving Travel Day with nearly 31 percent planing to Thanksgiving day; followed by 28 percent traveling that Wednesday, Nov. 21. Nearly 19 percent said they will travel earlier than Nov. 19 and half of travelers will head home on Sunday, Nov. 25 or later.
Forty-one percent of those surveyed said they will travel more than 500 miles and 26 percent will travel between 100-300 miles for Thanksgiving. Eight-teen percent plan to travel nearly 300-500 miles and 70 percent will drive during "off-peak" hours to try and avoid the worst of the Thanksgiving holiday traffic, the survey revealed.
Forty-seven percent of travelers said rising airfares impacted their Thanksgiving travel with 41 percent booking their flights early. Thirty-five percent said they would drive to their destination instead of fly and 3 percent are still waiting for prices to come down. "Even with rising airfares, travelers will find their way to see family and friends for the holiday, whether it's booking early or driving instead of taking to the skies," Ferencsik said.
Despite a not-so-bright economy, especially after superstorm Sandy, 38 percent plans to spend more on Thanksgiving travel this year than in 2011, 46 percent said they will spend the same, and 10 percent will spend less. 46 percent of people travelling will spend $500 or less on their Thanksgiving travel.
New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando and Philadelphia are ranked the top U.S. destinations travelers will visit during this Thanksgiving season.
Technology plays a key role in the Thanksgiving plans as 47 percent among those travelling said they will use a smartphone or tablet device to plan or assist in their Turkey Day travel. 80 percent said they will use their smart devices to check the weather, 51 percent will use them for researching restaurants, 51 percent for GPS navigation, 38 percent for checking the status of a flight and 27 percent to reach a destination.
